Machine for treating coated fabrics.



A. THOMA. MACHINE Fon TBEATING coATED mismos.v

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 14, 1909.

UNITED sTATEsMPArENT OFFICE.

ANDREW THOMA, F CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CLIFTON MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, 0F JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR TREATING COATED FABRICS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 14, 1909.

Patenten Mar. 11, 1913.

Serial No. 472,266.

To all whom it may concern.'

Ee it known that I, ANDREW TnoMA, a

citizen of the United States, residing at and. to various other materials and ,more

particularly to the use of such coated fabrics yin the manufacture of insoles for shoes.

It has been customary, heretofore, to pro vide various fabrics such as canvas, sheet-ing and the like with adhesive coatings made of gutta-percha or gutta-percha compounds, which coatings are normally non-stlcky but 'become sticky or tacky upon the application of heat. These coated fabrics are used to reinforce and strengthen other materlals such as leather, leather board, canvas and the like; the reneral custom being to render the coating sticky by the application of heat and then to apply the coated fabric while the ccating is in a sticky condition to the material to be reinforced. Duck or canvas providedwith such coatings` has been eX- tensively used in the manufacture of insoles for shoes and especially in the manufact-ure of what 1s known as the Gem insole,

which comprises a light, cheap leather in' sole reinforced with coated duck.

In making the Gem insole, the coated duck, in the form of strips slightly Wider than the width of the insoles, is heated to render the coating tacky and adhesive, and then is applied by hand to the leather foundation of the insole, and is finally subjected to the operation of a machine known as the Gem machine which indents the' duck over the rib on the leather insole and presses the duck firmly to the leather. Considerable difficulty has heretofore been experienced in the process, owing to the fact that when the adhesive coating cools it hardens and loses its tacky qualities, and as t-he process of making the insole enerally consumes some time, it frequently appens that the coating.

of the duck adheres to and clogs the knives er cutters of the Gem machine and further it has been found that the duck or canvas being dry and stiff did not conform readily to the form of the li and would afterward tear away from it. have found by experience, however, that if the coated duck is first wet in hot. waterand then subjeeted to a degree of heat which will soften the coating but not entirely dry the duck, that the foregoing difliculties are entirely overcome. In the first place, the coating is somewhat softened by the'hot water, which softening is not due to the action of the water but to the heat. In consequence, the coating is softened-to the desired extent by the application of'less heat than would be necessary in case it was not first subjected to the action of hot water. Another advantage secured by the preliminary application of hot water is, paradoxical as' it may appear at first glance, that the coating, after being heated and provided it is not heated to such an extent as to dry all the moisture in the fabric and coating, remains soft and retains its stiel-:y or tacky qualities for. a much longer period than when heated without moisture. This is of special advantage in the use of coated fabrics in making insoles owing to the fact that it is not always commcrcially convenient to submit the insole to the Gem machine as soon as the coated duck has been applied to the leather and therefore it is very desirable that the coating should retain its tackiness for a reasonable length of time even after it has cooled and such is the result where it has been subjected to the preliminary bath of hot water. Furthermore it is of the utmost importance that the coated fabric should be heated uniformly, and to a degree just sufficient to render the coating soft and tacky Vwithout melting it or drying the fabric. In case the will not properly adhere to the reinforced4 material.

I am well aware that machines forl treating coated fabrics have heretofore been made but all these machines have been open tol the objection that the` V'coated fabric has not been uniformly heated. In the machines having a flatheating -surface'novmeans have been i provided whereby the coated fabric is at all times retained in close contact with the heating sur/face as it travels through the machines and 'the act of drawlngithe fabric 'through such machines tends to lift it from y Y the heating surface thereby. causing some parts ofthe fabric to be heated less thanv other partsf'lhis same objection vobtains in the case of. machines employing a rotatable drum, since the weight of the coated fabricl pliable and easily molded Aand the coating is y tional .view of the casing on lines* 3 3 softened uniformly and in Vsuch a manner that it'remains tacky .even after it has cooled and will not adhere to knives, cutters. or other` implements.

The following is a clear description of my invention, reference being made to the ac# companying drawings, in which like num-x bers refer to` like parts throughout the sev Aeral views, andin which, v i Y Figure lv is aside elevation of my ma chine having certain parts broken away to show the interior construction; Fig. 2 is a rear elevation withthe standard broken away; F 3 is la.` vertical transverse sec- 1n Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a detail view. A

In he drawings illustrating the preferred form of my invention, 1 represents a curved hollow casingor heater, which ispreferablyz.

. i tudinally, asshown in Figui, js'o that` it endsina substantially horizontal portion 'at' 1 Y itsupperv end, from which the fabric' is.

rectangular incross section. and, curved longitudinallyfor a purposeto be hereinafter e explained. The upper end of the' casing 1 l is supported by astandard 2 andthe lower end is supported by brackets 3 secured to thef top 4`of a tank 5 by bolt 6. The curved up? 8 iwhich are extensions of the sides .of

per face' 7. of the heater -is'iprovided with and Vwhich serve' toretain Athe coated fa rie in lace .as it travels over the smooth face 7 o the casingl.- The curved upper face 7 'of the heater extends vsteeply' upward from the tank .5,1 being curved longidrawnout, upon a workv table. The tank 5 which is 'adapted to isl'so arranged with respect tothe easing 14 (as shown in Fig, l) that the ,lower end.. of the latter is just above-the forwardportion of the'former. In the top 4v of the tank 5 intenso;

is a door 9 hinged at 10 so that itv may be screws or bolts 12 is a roll 13. A hook 14 is Vsecured to the under side of the casing 1 by Aan eye-bolt 15 and when the door 9 is raised it may be maintained in that position by inserting the hook 14 in a handle 16 secured slots 17 and 18 for the entrance and 'exit respectively of the coated .fabric in and from the tank. In' the opening or slot 18 is mounted a small'roll or idler 19 in bearings 20. Upon the rear end of the tank 5 are two slotted brackets 21 adapted to hold a reel 26 of the coated fabric.

provide in the upper part of said casmg, an inlet 30 connected by a pipe 31 with the supply of heating medium, which is preferably used if desired.l In order to e control.' lthe amount of heat, the pipe 31 has ivalve or throttle 32' (see Fig. 4) by which, the steam pressure may be. regulated and a, pressure gage 33 to indicate the pressure; lower end of the casing 1 is -an outlet 35 connected by a piping 36 to a pipe'A 37y which. enters the tank 5 near its base. The piping 36 'beyond the pipe 37 is controlledby a valve 38and actsvas a drip. A; valve 40 controls the passage of steam from \the outlet 35 through thepipe 36.l i

. The operation-of the machine is as f0l lows: .The tank 5 is first partially filled with pipe 31 and out through the piping 36, pipe ing 1 and the water inthe tank 5. Assoon as the heater and- Water.- have been raised fabric 26 is placed in the brackets 21, and the fabric is unrolle'd` and carried under the roll 1 3 underthe vidler orsmall roll '19, through the s'lot'18 and over the curver face 7 ofthe casing with the uncoated'side ofthe side-being exposed. 'Itpwill be found more lf'zonvenient lwhen arranging the coated fabric inthe machine to raise the door 9 to the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1 where .itmay be held by the hook 14. As soon as the fabric has been' properly disposed the ldoor 9 isunhooked and lowered down into the water in the tank. If, at any ppe 36 by openm the valve 38.- o er raised as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. Journaled in depending hangers 11 fastened to the. under side of the door 9 by to 'the upper side ofthe door 9. The top 4l of the tank l5 is provided with openings ,or

r For the purpose of heating the casing 1I steam although hotair or hot water may be At the' -water and then the steamis permitted to' flow into. the casing 1 through vthe supply 37, and into the tank 5, thus heating the cas- .fabric contacting theV heater and the coatedv .and the roll 13 carries' the 'coated fabric time, the water inthe tank'5, vowin to the .condensation-of steam risesv too high, the fsurplus water may be drawn oli' throu l1 thlla to the 'desired temperature, the roll of coated In using the coated fabric, the operative draws the fabric up over the curved face 7 of the heater 1 and onto a table or work bench adjacent to the machine, where it is cut off in suitable lengths and immediately applied to the material to be reinforced. This act of drawing the fabric toward the table or work bench over the fixed curved face 7 of the heater, causes the fabric to bind against the face of the heater and insures a close contact at all times between the fabric and the heating surface and thereby secures a uniform heating of the fabric so long as an even temperature is maintained in the heater. In order to secure the uniform heating of the coated fabric which is absolutely necessary to its successful use, the fabric should at all times be in close contact with the heating surface and for this reason the face 7 of the heater is curved. The substantially horizontal upper end of the curved surface 7 of the heater from which the fabric is drawn to the work table is sufficiently inclined to the vertical so that in case the fabric is cut off close to the upper end of the heating surface, the loose end of the fabric will be frictionally retained Vthereon and thus be kept from .falling back over the steeper part of the curved surface near the tank.

The temperature of the casing 1 is kept uniform by regulating the supply of steam by means of the valve 32 and the proper temperature being once secured the steam gage 33 will show the steam pressure required and thereby enable the operative to i maintain an even and uniform temperature.

After the coated fabric leaves the reel it and is thoroughly wet. The uncoated side of the fabric contacts the roll 13 and both sides of the fabric, while lit is passing through the Ytank 5, are open to the action of the water. The roll 13 is made large in order .to facilitate the drawing of the fabric through the machine as obviously a roll of large diameter offers less resistance to rotation than a roll of small diameter. When the coated fabric reaches the face 7 of the Vheater it is thoroughly wet and the coating is somewhat softened. In passing over the face 7 of the heater, however, most of the moisture is driedout leaving the fabric itself in a slightly moist pliable condition. The coating is-further softened by the heat and itis in a very sticky and tacky condition by the time it reaches the hands of the operative.

Incase it is desired to stop using the machine for a short time, my construction permits the process of treating' the coated fabric to be suspended without Wasting the fabric. After the fabric has passed through the hot water in the tank and the coating thereby softened, it obviously cannot be rewound on the reel without sticking together and if it is permitted to remain long in the hot water and in contact with the heater while the machine is at rest, the coatingv will be injured. Whenever the machine is stopped for any appreciable time, the roll 13 may be withdrawn from the water by raising the door 9 and securing it on the hook 14 and the coated fabric may be drawn up` and out of the water and that portion of it lying on the face of the heater may be lifted off and thrown over any suitable support. When the machine is again started, the door 9 is unhooked and dropped and the fabric replaced on the face of the heater. If meanwhile the fabric has dried it may be dipped in the tank and then drawn over the face of the heater. This renders any change in the heating means connected with the machine unnecessary and savestime and material.

In treating the coated. fabric, it will be noticed that the appearance of the coatin changes as it becomes softened by heat an thereby the proper time to discontinue the heating process is indicated. Furthermore the condltion of the coatin may be tested by touching the tip of t e finger to it while itis on the heater. For these reasons, the face 7 of the heater is uncovered and as the fabric passes over the face, the coating is exposed to view and may be examined or touched at any time for the purpose of ascertaining its condition. It will be found that this construction also greatly aids in securing the proper amount of heat; since it enables one to ascertain immediately from the condition of the coating whether too much or too little heat is being applied and then to remedy it.

Whatis claimed is:

1. In a machine for treating coa-ted fabric, the combination of a moistening tank, a hinged cover therefor, a depending roll mounted on said cover-for guiding the coated fabric through the water in said tank and means for heating said fabric after 1t emerges from said tank to partially dry the moisture and to soften said coating.

2. In a machine`for treating coated fabric, the combination of a moistening tank, a roll which immerses the coated fabric in the water contained in Athe moistening tank as it passes around said roll, a hollow casing above and extending over said tank having an upper longitudinally curved surface extending upwardly from the tank for supporting said fabric as it passes over said curved surface andadapted to deliver the fabric directly to a work table, and means for heating the hollow casing.

l 3. In a machine for treating fabric coated on one side with an adhesive compound, the combination of a moistening tank, a hollow casing having an upper ongitudinally curved surface for supporting the fabric as it passes over said curved surface,

meahs for heating said hollow casing, and means including guide rolls bearing against the uncoatedv side only of the fabric for guiding 'the fabric through the moistening tank and delivering the fabric to the curved surface with its surface;

4. Ina machine for treating fabric coated on one side with an adhesive compound, the combination of a moistening tank, means for supporting. a supply roll of the coa-ted fabric, a hollow casing above the tank having an upper longitudinally curved surface for supporting the fabric as it passes over sai curved surface, means for uncoated side against said heating said hollow casing, and means in` v which thepfabric is adapted to be drawn out upon a Work table and upon which the loose -end of the fabric may lie and be thus kept fromfalling back over the lower inclined portion of the curved surface, mean'slfor heating the hollow casing, and means for immersingv the fabric in the moisteningtankguiding thefabric tothe curved and for surface.

6. In a machine for treating coated fabric, the combination of a moistening tank, a hollow casing above the tank, having an upper longitudlnally curved surface extending upwardly from the tank andvending in a portion sufficiently inclined to the vertical so that the loose end' of the fabric may be ,frictionally retained thereon and be thus kept from falling back from the curved surface, said curved surface being exposed so that the fabric may be lifted therefrom and laid back'while the machine is not in use, and means for heating the. hollow Y casing.`

7. In a machine for treating coated fabric, the combination of-a moistening tank, a

hollow casing above the tank having an upper longitudinally curved surface'extending upwardly from the tank and ending in"a por'- tion sufficiently inclined to the vertical so Athat the loose end of the fabric may be fries tionally retained thereon and be thus kept from falling back from the curved surface,

said curved surface being exposed so thatthe fabric may be lifted therefrom and laid back while thermachi'ne is not in use, means for holdingthe hollow casing, a roll for imvmersing the fabric in the moistening tank',

and means for lifting said immersing roll from the tank While the machine is not in use.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence -of two subscribing witnesses, this the 12th day of January,

.ANDREW Til-IOMA. "Witnessesz- E. La AYLING, "M. E. UNDnnWoon. 

